Recent surveys have indicated that 55.1% of young adults report past-month alcohol use and 39.4% report heavy episodic drinking during the past month. Additionally, young adults who attend college are reported to use alcohol more than their noncollege counterparts. However, after emerging adulthood those who did not attend college may be at a greater risk for developing alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence. Social networks play a major role in alcohol use behaviors among young adults. Previous literature has demonstrated that drinking with family members is protective against alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. On the other hand, drinking with peers, also known as “drinking buddies,” may be related to greater alcohol use and related consequences. This study examines the effects of young adults’ who never attended four-year college social networks on drinking behaviors.
The study’s sample consisted of 525 emerging adults age 18 to 25 who had never attended and were not planning to attend a 4-year degree institution. Participants were asked to report when they first started drinking alcohol and alcohol use during the past 30 days. Alcohol consequences were measured using the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Lastly, social networks were analyzed by asking participants to name up to 10 people who had been important to them during the past month and drinking history of these individuals identified. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and generalized estimating equations for negative binomial distribution.
Results of the data analysis showed that 65% of participants had at least one drinker in their social network. Drinking frequency of network members was related to participant drinking frequency, drinks per drinking day, and maximum number of drinks but not total number of alcohol-related consequences. Drinking with significant others and friends had a stronger relationship with personal alcohol use. This relationship was not observed for drinking among parents although parents tended to consume alcohol more frequently than friends and significant others. In regards to alcohol-related consequences, the association between network member’s drinking frequency and participants number of alcohol-related consequences was significant for significant others but not family or friends.
Takeaway: Social networks may impact alcohol consumption behaviors among young adults who are no attended a four-year degree institution.